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Viewing cable 08BAGHDAD998, PM'S ADVISORS DISCUSS BASRAH EXIT STRATEGY

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Reference ID Created Released Classification Origin
08BAGHDAD998 2008-04-01 08:29 2011-08-30 01:44 SECRET Embassy Baghdad
VZCZCXRO9816
PP RUEHBC RUEHDE RUEHIHL RUEHKUK
DE RUEHGB #0998/01 0920829
ZNY SSSSS ZZH
P 010829Z APR 08
FM AMEMBASSY BAGHDAD
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 6581
INFO RUCNRAQ/IRAQ COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 BAGHDAD 000998 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/30/2018 
TAGS: PGOV PINS MOPS IR IZ
SUBJECT: PM'S ADVISORS DISCUSS BASRAH EXIT STRATEGY 
 
Classified By: Political-Military Counselor Ambassador Marcie Ries for 
reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). 
 
1.  (C) Summary: In separate March 30 conversations with S/I 
Satterfield and Polmilcouns, both National Security Advisor 
Muwaffaq al-Rubaie and Political Advisor Sadiq Rikabi 
acknowledged the seriousness of the current crisis facing PM 
Maliki and the need to provide him with a face-saving exit 
but worried that Maliki did not understand the seriousness of 
his predicament.  Rikabi outlined a plan to have the ISF take 
a Basrah neighborhood and then the port of Um Qasr to provide 
Maliki with a victory.  Rubaie initially dismissed the idea 
but later seemed to endorse it.  Rikabi and Rubaie outlined 
parallel negotiation tracks with OMS in Najaf and Sadr in 
Iran although neither could offer much detail on recent 
Iranian/Iraqi/Kurdish talks in Sulaymaniyah.  Rikabi was 
relatively optimistic about Maliki's political future but 
Rubaie worried that the PM had suffered "a fatal blow." 
Rubaie linked the Basrah offensive to Maliki's "impulsive 
nature" and said he was provoked by reports on the abuse of 
women in Basrah.  Rikabi did not think Basrah Gov. Waeli had 
the popular support necessary to form Basrah into a region. 
End Summary. 
 
Maliki's current predicament and political future 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
 
2.  (C) Rikabi and Rubaie both worried that PM Maliki did not 
understand the gravity of the situation.  "We are working to 
convince him," said Rikabi.  Rubaie explained that Maliki 
"doesn't like bad news," adding that Iraq's generals were 
military officers under Saddam and avoided delivering 
negative messages to their leadership.  Rubaie said the PM 
told him he "hadn't thought" about when to return to Baghdad, 
adding "we will see in two or three days."  Rikabi said Sami 
al-Askari would stay in Basrah until the PM returned to 
Baghdad. 
 
3.  (C) Both advisors commented that a military victory was 
impossible and that even Saddam Hussein could not control 
Basrah's neighborhoods.  The solution, they said, was to give 
the PM a graceful way out of the predicament.  Rikabi said 
that PM Maliki "needed to achieve something tangible and 
leave."  He added that ISF was currently operating in 
Hyyaniyah and "hopefully tomorrow they go to liberate Um 
Qasr."  Later, Rikabi expanded on this plan and offered three 
objectives for the GOI in Basrah: 1) Taking Um Qasr to 
provide the PM with a victory; 2) Killing or arresting 
criminal elements; 3) Using ISF operations to send "a strong 
message" to the Sadrists that they cannot oppose the 
government.  Rubaie was more candid, saying that Maliki 
needed an "artificial success and face-saving formula." 
"Frankly," he added, "if Maliki comes back having failed he 
will be doomed, and our progress will be difficult to 
sustain."  He initially dismissed the plan to go into 
Hyyaniyah and Um Qasr, but near the end of the meeting 
referred to the same plan as a way for Maliki to leave Basrah 
with his image intact. 
 
4.  (C) Rikabi was relatively optimistic over the PM's 
political future, saying that Maliki's political situation is 
"not too bad" because the main parties, including the UIA, 
the Kurds, and even the Sunnis, realize that "the price of 
defeat will be paid by all of Iraq."  Rubaie was less 
sanguine, responding that "absolutely, the knives will be 
out" on the PM's return to Baghdad and musing that Maliki may 
have suffered "a fatal blow." 
 
Political solution to crisis? 
----------------------------- 
 
5.  (C) Rikabi and Rubaie outlined complementary but separate 
negotiation tracks between the GOI and Sadrists.  According 
to Rikabi, Hadi al-Amri (Head of the COR Badr Organization 
bloc) and Ali al-Adib (head of the COR Dawa bloc)  met with 
Muqtada al-Sadr in Iran on March 29 to secure a statement 
from Sadr ordering his followers from the streets and 
condemning criminal elements.  In return, the GOI would agree 
to target only criminal elements rather than the Sadr 
movement as a whole.  Rikabi clarified that Sadr would deny 
his followers possessed any medium or heavy weapons and in 
turn would give the GOI permission to target any individuals 
carrying such weapons.  Rikabi said the meeting produced a 
letter from Sadr to his followers.  He said the letter was 
delivered to Najaf and expected it to be released "soon." 
(Note: A letter from Sadr outlining nine points for his 
followers and the government was released shortly after the 
meetings concluded.)  Rubaie likewise said a political 
agreement was "very possible" and outlined a three-point 
proposal negotiated with OMS political leadership in Najaf: 
1) PM Maliki returns to Baghdad; 2) Sadr orders his followers 
from the street; 3) OMS and GOI form a joint committee to 
discuss governance decisions. 
 
BAGHDAD 00000998  002 OF 002 
 
 
 
6.  (C) Neither advisor offered much information on the 
recent Iranian/Kurdish/Iraqi talks held in Sulaymaniyah. 
Rubaie said he had not been briefed on the outcome of the 
talks but added that "to be brutally frank, Iran is the 
decisive factor in this."  Rikabi said the talks centered on 
three points: 1) Kurdish interests; 2) Iranian interests; 3) 
Need for the PCNS to meet.  Rikabi added that following 
completion of the talks PM Chief of Staff Tariq Abdullah was 
returning to Baghdad. 
 
Why Basrah? Why now? 
-------------------- 
 
7.  (C) Asked for the reasons behind PM Maliki's offensive 
into Basrah, Rubaie shrugged and said "you know his 
character, he has an impulsive nature."  The trigger, he 
elaborated, seemed to be a series of reports on the abuse of 
women in Basrah.  Rubaie did not know the origin of the 
reports but said they included daily statistics on the 
mutilation and killing of women in Basrah.  He criticized the 
reports as alarmist but said that Maliki called a meeting on 
March 19 and, referring to the reports, said "enough is 
enough" and announced that the ISF needed to restore control 
of Basrah.  Rubaie said he interjected only once, pointing 
out that Gen. Mohan had worked closely with MNF-I officials 
to develop a multi-phase security plan.  In response Maliki 
said he would fire Mohan and IP Chief Jalil and personally 
oversee the effort to secure the city. According to Rubaie, 
Maliki's initiative received the support of Minister of State 
Safa al-Safi, Ali al-Adib, and various ISCI leaders at a 
General Support Group meeting on March 21.  Two days later, 
Rubaie noted, Maliki traveled to Basrah "with his entourage" 
to lead the effort. 
 
Role of Gov. Waeli? 
------------------- 
 
8.  (C) Rikabi accused Gov. Waeli of being linked to Basrah's 
corruption and violence and predicted that he will not be 
elected to serve another term as governor.  Rikabi dismissed 
the possibility that Waeli would exploit the current crisis 
to press ahead on forming Basrah into a region, saying the 
governor lacked the necessary popular support. 
 
9.  (C) Comment: Despite the relative optimism of his 
comments, Rikabi was clearly anxious and had more difficulty 
than normal communicating in English.  Rubaie was more 
pessimistic but appeared to derive some sense of personal 
vindication from the PM's current predicament.  Both advisors 
seemed unsure over the PM's plans or their ability to 
influence his decisions.  End comment. 
 
10.  (U) Note: S/I Satterfield did not clear on this cable 
before transmission.  End Note. 
CROCKER